You ask the question, and only you can answer it. Every feeder department around has different situations. Some big, some small. Where I am, you would be lucky to get out of the yard. Being tired isn't even an issue if your job is working in a spotter. It is very hard to be drowsy when you work in a yard. Drowsy happens on long, dark highways. Check that, it happens on any highway. Sometimes, the worst time is after the sun comes up. You just never know on the road.
And you might have no problem sleeping during the day. You might sleep a solid eight hours a day. Then, come 3, 4, 5 in the AM, you will hit the wall. Then, sometimes, you will barely get 3 or 4 hours sleep during the day. You awake and KNOW that you will have troubles that night. But then, you don't. You're wide awake, and you don't know why.
If you're lucky enough to get a road job...welcome to the club. We're still trying to figure it out.
What I can say, is you should definitely try to get your sleep. If you have trouble keeping awake, then bite the bullet. Pull over and take a nap. Even if you've already taken your meal. Yeah, you'll be sleeping on your time, but you won't be crashing on anyone's time.
Ever since I've been back in feeders, I've constantly bumped heads with management about taking my meal at my turn-around hubs. They've always insisted that I take my meal during the turn-around.
Why? Because there is a good reason? Haha, you're funny.
No, because they say so.
As of yet, I've won ever fight about this. I've filed a few grievances and won, and I've taken said meal On-Property.
The reason I don't want to take my meal during the turn-around is because you are rarely tired during the TA. After all, you are breaking equipment down, going into the hub, getting your return assignment...you are alert then. But one, maybe two hours later, on the road, you hit a wall. Ideally, this is the time to take your meal(NAP).
If I'm forced to take my meal On-Property, I can guarantee everyone alive that my TA will be longer than if I take my meal on the road. Read into to that all you want, but I can promise you that my safety, and the equipment I'm responsible for is my main priority.
Here is the bottom line: if the preload box is going to be late, or you are going to risk nodding off getting it there on time (according to the On-Time Network), then fire me for being late instead of getting fired for crashing by falling asleep. One can be defended, and the other is a visit to the panel.
And we all know how the latter story ends.
Choose wisely.
